Translation and validation of the German version of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS-DE)
University students participating in sport must balance the demands of academics and sport to succeed in both domains. However, a reliable and valid tool for measuring academic and athletic identities in German-speaking populations has been lacking. The purpose of this study was to translate the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS; Yukhymenko-Lescroart, 2014, Student and Athletes? Development of the Academic and Athletic Identity Scale (AAIS). Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology ) into German (AAIS-DE) and evaluate its construct validity and reliability. Participants were 281 students participating in sport from a German-speaking university in Switzerland ( M age = 23.1 years). Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling supported the two-factor structure of the AAIS-DE, with all factor loadings being significant. Reliability estimates were .88 for academic identity and .89 for athletic identity. The two factors, academic and athletic identities, showed a moderate positive correlation. Using established German-language measures, academic identity correlated positively with academic self-concept, while athletic identity correlated positively with physical self-concept, as expected. Finally, measurement invariance was supported across gender and organized sport participation, indicating that the AAIS-DE measured academic and athletic identities equivalently across these groups. Overall, the results supported the reliability and validity of the AAIS-DE, confirming its usefulness for assessing academic identity and athletic identity among German-speaking university students and athletes.
Authors
- Michael J. Schmid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2491-1610)
- Mariya A. Yukhymenko–Lescroart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0054-6666)
- Jürg Schmid (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6265-7660)
Institutions
- University of Bern (CH)
- California State University System (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching
- Published
- 2026-09-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541261484939
- Primary Topic
- Sport Psychology and Performance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00